Reviewing the Best Queer/LGBTQ Fiction!

Tag: disabilty

There’s nothing as satisfying as being able to read the sequel of an amazing book as soon as you’ve finish the first! I tried to show some self-restraint and wait at least a day before I bought this book, but of course I didn’t succeed. I jumped straight into this sequel and read non-stop until it was done. No regrets!

Even though it’s Brian’s needs that form most of the action and plot of this book, I felt that Nick’s journey and development was given a lot of attention as well. His self-identity as a cop is slowly, torturously stripped away, and he has some very hard questions to ask himself about what he wants- what he needs- in life, and where his true priorities and desires lie. I think that the author has done a very good job at balancing these two very complicated characters, at such a complicated time of their lives. Both the development of them as individuals and the development of their relationship are treated with great skill and care.

Woo-hoo, I have a new author obsession!! Harper’s writing is fantastic, and there’s so many books for me to look forward to reading! I can’t tell you how thrilled I was to discover Kaje Harper. Tracefinder is my first Harper book, and I was hooked from the very first chapter.

This book has all the best qualities of the “cop drama”: the cop talk, inter-departmental tension and intrigue, the undercover mission that’s soon compromised by the feelings of the cop for those he’s trying to catch out. Chilli dogs. Dodgy bars. So good!

But importantly, it also stands out from the crowd of M/M romance in a number of ways. The author doesn’t give us two mouth-wateringly attractive, burly men; we have the (admittedly, very attractive) Nick and- Brian. Ahh, Brian. I adored him. I think many readers will as well. I wanted to protect him and give him all the good things in the world. But he’s certainly not the standard love-interest, and that is excellent.

WOW. Just…wow! This book is incredible and blew me away entirely. I didn’t quite know what I was getting myself into when I started reading it, and probably wasn’t quite prepared for such an intense emotional onslaught. This is the kind of book that’ll have you sneaking away from a party to read by yourself in a corner or staying up all night to finish. It’s the kind of book that will occupy all your thoughts and feelings even once you’re finished. It’s the kind of book you’ll want EVERYONE to read, to hold up as an outstanding example of the m/m romance genre. And…it’s probably the kind of book you’ll want to re-name to give a slightly less, um, cheesy title…ha.

One might expect angst from a story about a lonely man in a wheelchair, but this was angst on a whole new level. The fact that James is in a wheelchair quickly fades into the background as being far less important than his other emotional issues- his scars and childhood trauma, that have left him with crippling social anxiety, depression, and a raw, desperate fear of letting anyone inside his shields. James’s POV chapters are swamped with his dark and pessimistic outlook on life and his future: he’s at a critical, desperate point in his life where he is truly struggling to see any light. Reading about his journey to overcome his fears- even of small things, like going somewhere new and unfamiliar- will be a visceral experience for anyone who’s faced the same issues. In fact I might even put in a word of caution here for readers with depression; I found James’s battle to be almost distressingly realistic.